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ThinkNext Design

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Re: ThinkNext Design

#61

Post by echelon »

worldsavior wrote: post #58

Kind of on topic, but how is Thinkpad with Linux compares to macOS? Battery life, driver support, performance, security, etc.

I miss the M-series silicon, but plain old Ubuntu runs like a charm on Thinkpads. I much prefer the Ubuntu UX and native Linux environment.

Battery life is slightly worse, driver support is perfect - every peripheral I've tried is perfect, performance and security are top-notch.

My two complaints are battery life and compiling Rust code taking a bit longer. But everything else is better on Thinkpad.

I use a Thinkpad and MacBook Pro interchangeably.

Note: I use an X1 Carbon, so that's more like a MacBook Air. They're not 1:1 and my complaints are partly due to my choice.

Re: ThinkNext Design

#62

Post by imran0 »

jas39 wrote: post #11

Had my lenovo thinkpad bricked by sleep mode in linux. Never again. Seriously overrated stuff. Get a laptop with 3:2 display instead.

Doubt it was the thinkpad's fault. Sleep and bluetooth is still a shitshow on linux.

Re: ThinkNext Design

#63

Post by jasoneckert »

When it comes to laptops, I’ve primarily used MacBooks but really miss the excellent keyboard and TrackPoint on ThinkPads. Nothing seems to comes close.

My solution was to buy a Lenovo ThinkPad TrackPoint Keyboard II and pair it with my MacBook over Bluetooth. An added benefit is that I can keep the MacBook on a stand, avoiding the wobble you get when typing directly on it.

I also use an Apple Trackpad alongside this setup, since I find it hard to beat for certain tasks.

Re: ThinkNext Design

#64

Post by kombine »

dgxyz wrote: post #18

I rather liked the T-series (had quite a few!). But Lenovo are really running out of good will as far as I am concerned. They're riding the brand to destruction. Had some serious problems recently including one brick and one out of warranty battery turning up completely dead. The latter was an absolute nightmare to sort out resulting in a chargeback in the end. I've taken to just buying multiple 2-3 year old "tested"…

I also have T14s Gen 3 (AMD) and to me this is a pinnacle of laptop design. Latest Fedora KDE edition runs buttery smooth on it.

Re: ThinkNext Design

#65

Post by WillAdams »

For the real background here see:

_Thinkpad: A Different Shade of Blue_ by Deborah A. Dell and J. Gerry Purdy

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/483933.ThinkPad

I've always regretted not getting one of the tablet Thinkpads, and it kills me that the Lenovo Yogabook 9i is two technologies away from being perfect for me (needs to have a Wacom EMR stylus, and to have a Trackpoint)....

Re: ThinkNext Design

#66

Post by _blk »

LorenDB wrote: post #59
captain_coffee wrote: post #24

Has any of the newer ThinkPad models been upgraded to use a metal case or they are still made out of plastic? Asking as that is the main deal-breaker for me

6th gen X1 Yoga user here. My laptop has a full aluminum chassis (and I bought it three years ago).

Me too, don't like it though. The x1 carbon felt sturdier. The keyboard is average and I already had to replace the touchscreen twice on warranty. Just went out while sitting on the desk.. Battery is OK even after 5 years of almost daily use (I keep it at 80%). The flip feature is cool but I honestly haven't used it as much as I thought I would. Probably used the pen more to sign stuff. As a coder, the x series is probably the better choice. I've owned X and T series laptops over the years and one HP that was somewhere in the middle of the X range happiness wise.

Re: ThinkNext Design

#67

Post by vkazanov »

dgxyz wrote: post #40
vkazanov wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wouldn't suggest going for a recent X1 as there are some driver issues on Linux. My current one is a Thinkpad 14s AMD. As somebody who had most smaller Thinkpads and Dells in the last 15 years, this is my favourite machine so far: great battery, a decent GPU, still a Thinkpad, perfect Linux support.

Which generation is that T14s? I am in the market for a new one.

I bought whatever was recent in may 2025: Thinkpad 14s AMD 64GB. My collegue bought one a month ago so it seems to be the latest one still.

Re: ThinkNext Design

#68

Post by physicles »

nirui wrote: post #33
tasuki wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've had a X1 since 2017. The CPU is pretty weak, but it's still solid overall. Still on the original battery too (yes the capacity has gone down from 57 Wh to 25 Wh). I've gotten other computers through work since, but the X1 is still my favourite laptop! In fact I'm typing on it now.

I'm curious how much slowdown a "weak" CPU can cause for real-life programming task, assuming the CPU is at least gen 4 Intel. I never used a mobile/power-efficient CPU myself, but I do use old CPUs. For example, this I5-4210M on my T440p, it's obviously not fast compare to newer ones, but when writing code on it (Go and a bit of Rust), I don't really feel a day-or-night level difference. Sure, it's slower, but not u…

Desktop CPUs have a lot more punch than their equivalent mobile parts.

My current dev machine is an X1 carbon from 2019. Compiling go code is slower than I’d like, some JavaScript-heavy websites like Jira take a couple extra seconds to load, and the GPU can drive a 4k monitor but it isn’t snappy.

Still, the form factor is perfect, and my next upgrade will be exactly the same machine but more powerful and with a brighter display with the same 2.5k resolution.

Re: ThinkNext Design

#69

Post by wpm »

captain_coffee wrote: post #35
jeswin wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been a ThinkPad user forever, and I wouldn't buy another one if they "upgraded" to metal like everyone else. If I were to guess, most serious ThinkPad users would want the current shell, the dated appearance, and the keyboard to not change much or at all.

Any particular reason for avoiding the metal cases? I was under the impression that a metal case - making the laptops more durable and resistant to potential damage - would be a desirable thing.

Imagine you drop your laptop from a standing height onto a hard surface.

Metal will bend and deform. Dent.

Plastic will yield, then crack.

You can then replace the cracked component, because the plastic took the vast majority of the force so the metal frame on the inside that holds everything together is fine. Same way you have squishy muscle to absorb impacts that might break your bones. Same way cars have crumple zones.

I've been a Mac user primarily for 20 years. I've had or used extensively every generation of PowerBook and MacBook since the G4. I have two Thinkpads (T420, A485) and they both feel as solid as anything I've had from Apple, except when my MacBook Air slid off my couch onto its back corner, it misaligned the lid permanently, and my Thinkpads bounced.

Re: ThinkNext Design

#70

Post by wpm »

MrGilbert wrote: post #56

I have a x230 at hand, mainly to quickly diagnose my car. I bought it used some years ago, including the dock, and I still love it. Sure, resolution is limited, and so is the power. But it gets the job done, and also has this useful thinklight on top of the bezel, which helps reading printed stuff in the dark. I'll hold on to it as long as I can.

I bet you could upgrade the screen if you wanted to. I put a modern-ish 1440p IPS into my T420, looks fantastic.
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